Ask a Pagan.

[kyuuei]

Cool, so you believe in its existence but do not believe it is metaphysical in scope. Neither do I, for the most part...


Quantum physics understanding leaves much to be desired, however =X

Yeah, actually I find very little to be metaphysical. I bask in the 'all that is created' sense of it. I find it amazing that we're capable of so much.. but I have a very clock-maker sort of idea to things. With a bit of maintenance and sometimes reaching back to the creator for bigger issues, a clock will run itself for ages. I find many of what we do in our daily lives and acts to be 'maintenance'.. Things like the Law of Attraction, and not doing harm to others, seasonal rituals to remind us of how the clock works, helping out your neighbors.. learning about yourself and others, furthering education, I find all of these things essential to keeping the clock working on it's own.

I hardly ever reach down into a ritual and look for more than these points.. To do a ritual outside of *my* own power and means would be to ask the clock creator about a mechanism I may not ever be familiar with.. Just because I ask, it doesn't mean I will understand the answer.. I have only reached out once that I can remember--and it was initially asking if I am going in the right direction.. if this felt like the right thing for me, back when I was finding religion in my heart. The answer at the time I did not understand at all, and only in retrospect did I realize I was answered at all.

 

[Cimarron]

5. I don't make things over elaborate. Fancy words, and lengthy spells, and lots of steps I think takes away from the process, the same way presents and decorations take away from the spirit of Christmas.

I follow what you mean, and I agree.

 

[ilikeitlikethat]

I don't know if you know, but I'm going to ask you anyway because 'you're a pagan'


This has always fascinated me, but, is Paganism the thing that Britons did before Christianity came to these ilses? Were we a bunch of Pagans in the UK before the Bible came? 'Getting back to my roots'

Pagan/Wicca, what's the difference?

 

[Amargith]

I don't know if you know, but I'm going to ask you anyway because 'you're a pagan'


This has always fascinated me, but, is Paganism the thing that Britons did before Christianity came to these ilses? Were we a bunch of Pagans in the UK before the Bible came? 'Getting back to my roots'

Pagan/Wicca, what's the difference?

Paganism is an umbrella term for nature religions, often practised before christianity yes. Wicca is a specific 'leaf' on the witchcraft branch of the paganism tree, and was founded in the 1950's by Gerald Gardner, who based it on Traditional Brititsh witchcraft (and its celtic roots), I believe, and a mix of eastern philosophies.

 

[ilikeitlikethat]

I've been to Witchfest, I went to Witchfest 2010.

It's this global witchy thing that meets in town once a year in November, anyone here ever heard of it?

Thank you^ for that answer.

 

[kyuuei]

I don't know if you know, but I'm going to ask you anyway because 'you're a pagan'


This has always fascinated me, but, is Paganism the thing that Britons did before Christianity came to these ilses? Were we a bunch of Pagans in the UK before the Bible came? 'Getting back to my roots'

Pagan/Wicca, what's the difference?

Yes, it can be said that they were Pagans before Christianity spread to the Isles.

Paganism is more of an umbrella term. To make an analogy to Christianity..

Christianity has different branches.. a Lutheran is Christian, but a Christian is not necessarily Lutheran.

Similarly, Pagans have several branches and theologies. A Wiccan is a Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan. Wicca is probably the broadest, and most structured of all forms of Paganism.. but Druidism, some Eastern influences, and hybrids of various sources of more ancient religions also fall under the Pagan umbrella. 'Pagan' I think was really coined by Christianity to describe.. well.. pretty much anyone who wasn't Christian. Now-a-days, we use it to describe a more specific set of religions such as Wicca, to differentiate it from Buddhism and Islam, etc. Most people find 'Pagan' and 'Wiccan' to be interchangeable, which isn't quite right but it is better than the previous sentiments of Pagans being devil worshipers.

 

[Mole]

This has always fascinated me, but, is Paganism the thing that Britons did before Christianity came to these ilses? Were we a bunch of Pagans in the UK before the Bible came? 'Getting back to my roots'

Pagan/Wicca, what's the difference?

The pagans were the Ancient Greeks who gave us the fourth pillar of Western Civilization, namely, Ancient Greek philosophy, not to mention democracy and rational science.

The last pagan was the librarian and scientist, Hypatia (335-405 AD), who was tortured and murdered and humiliated in death by the irrational Christians, who went on to burn the great pagan library of Alexandria.

The Wicca have no connection with paganism. The Wicca are just another irrational religion.

The Wicca are part of the fatuous New Age which also includes astrology, mbti and homeopathy.

 

[Coriolis]

Yes, it can be said that they were Pagans before Christianity spread to the Isles.

Paganism is more of an umbrella term. To make an analogy to Christianity..

Christianity has different branches.. a Lutheran is Christian, but a Christian is not necessarily Lutheran.

Similarly, Pagans have several branches and theologies. A Wiccan is a Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan. Wicca is probably the broadest, and most structured of all forms of Paganism.. but Druidism, some Eastern influences, and hybrids of various sources of more ancient religions also fall under the Pagan umbrella. 'Pagan' I think was really coined by Christianity to describe.. well.. pretty much anyone who wasn't Christian. Now-a-days, we use it to describe a more specific set of religions such as Wicca, to differentiate it from Buddhism and Islam, etc. Most people find 'Pagan' and 'Wiccan' to be interchangeable, which isn't quite right but it is better than the previous sentiments of Pagans being devil worshipers.

In most places to which Christianity spread, the original religion can be described as Pagan. The term "Pagan" originally referred to country folk, who retained their original faith long after those in the more cosmopolitan cities had learned about Christianity and converted. Eventually it came to mean any adherent of the old faith.

 

[sprinkles]

Just to throw a hookshot out there:

What do you think of chaos magic?

Dangerous? Unethical? Creative? Cutting edge? What?

 

[Mole]

In most places to which Christianity spread, the original religion can be described as Pagan. The term "Pagan" originally referred to country folk, who retained their original faith long after those in the more cosmopolitan cities had learned about Christianity and converted. Eventually it came to mean any adherent of the old faith.

Christians made jealous and vicious propaganda against pagans. And yet at the very same time, the Christians wrote their Bible in the language of the pagans. Yes, the original Bible was written in pagan Ancient Greek.

Yes, the Christians successfully suppressed pagan Ancient Greek culture right up to the time of the Renaissance. But with the original Bible written in the pagan Ancient Greek language, the ability to read Ancient Greek was retained, leading to the efflorescence of the Renaissance, and leading to the rebirth of pagan Ancient Greek philosophy, democracy and rational science.

And the Renaissance of pagan Ancient Greek culture led onto the Enlightenment. And the Enlightenment gave us modern medicine, liberal democracy, modern economics, science and technology, the abolition of State torture, the abolition of institutional slavery, the emancipation of women and the prosecution of child sexual abuse.

 

[sprinkles]

The world doesn't revolve around Europe/Greece/Rome and Christianity. There's a whole slew of things in the rest of the world that Christianity didn't get its grubby mitts on.

At least not until later when missionaries became popular...

 

[Mole]

The world doesn't revolve around Europe/Greece/Rome and Christianity. There's a whole slew of things in the rest of the world that Christianity didn't get its grubby mitts on.

At least not until later when missionaries became popular...

Western Civilization revolves around Ancient Greek philosophy, Judaism, Christianity and the Enlightenment.

Other Civilizations, such as the Hindu Civilization or the Confucian Civilization, revolve around different historical events.

 

[sprinkles]

Western Civilization revolves around Ancient Greek philosophy, Judaism, Christianity and the Enlightenment.

Other Civilizations, such as the Hindu Civilization or the Confucian Civilization, revolve around different historical events.

I know. Just some times I sense an attitude of "oh, they don't count" or even "they're just weird" with people.

Not saying you were doing that but I see it a lot and just kinda wanted to say something about it.

 

[Coriolis]

Yes, the Christians successfully suppressed pagan Ancient Greek culture right up to the time of the Renaissance. But with the original Bible written in the pagan Ancient Greek language, the ability to read Ancient Greek was retained, leading to the efflorescence of the Renaissance, and leading to the rebirth of pagan Ancient Greek philosophy, democracy and rational science.

Much of the knowledge that helped to fuel the renaissance came from the Islamic world, in the years of the crusades.

 

[Mole]

Much of the knowledge that helped to fuel the renaissance came from the Islamic world, in the years of the crusades.

Unfortunately this is Islamic propaganda with almost no basis in reality. In fact Islam rejects the culture of the pagan Ancient Greeks as being polytheistic and the culture of infidels, only to be destroyed and replaced by Islam under Sharia Law.

And as we derive our culture from the Ancient Greeks, so the same fate awaits us under Islam and Sharia Law via Jihad.

 

[Coriolis]

Unfortunately this is Islamic propaganda with almost no basis in reality. In fact Islam rejects the culture of the pagan Ancient Greeks as being polytheistic and the culture of infidels, only to be destroyed and replaced by Islam under Sharia Law.

I am writing about scientific knowledge, not faith or superstition. The truth of that is easily verified, and well-documented in the historical record. I was curious, though, to see how your personal bias against Islam would skew your response.

 

[Mole]

I am writing about scientific knowledge, not faith or superstition. The truth of that is easily verified, and well-documented in the historical record. I was curious, though, to see how your personal bias against Islam would skew your response.

I am not personally biased against Islam. I am a scholar of Islam and helped found and fund the Muslim Students' Society of the Australian National University.

But rather than making a positive contribution, too many members prefer to insult me.

 

[Coriolis]

I am not personally biased against Islam. I am a scholar of Islam and helped found and fund the Muslim Students' Society of the Australian National University.

But rather than making a positive contribution, too many members prefer to insult me.

Then you should know better. You comments on this forum demonstrate a bias against Islam. If you disagree with that observation, then you have not accurately represented your views.